The Nollywood industry is mourning the death of renowned actor and movie producer Kunle Afolayan, whose mother Omoladun Afolayan died at age 81. Kunle took to Instagram to announce the news to his fans while reminiscing on how she lived a full life and how easy it was for her to pass on. Being an aged mother in the family, she was fondly called “Maami” by many close to her and was regarded as a compassionate and strong woman whose impacts are deep-seated in family and all known persons.
Gabriel Afolayan, the brother to Kunle and also an actor, equally paid tribute, labeling her a steady occurrence of happiness and my dear partner for word and dance conversations. “You’d be greatly missed, big mummy (Iya Oyo)”, he said, describing how honored the depth of love the family holds in honor of her.
Omoladun’s death is reverberating beyond her family because she commanded respect with her graciousness and values inculcated into her children. The legacy, of course, goes on through what the Afolayans are doing in the Nollywood industry, taking her memories into the heart of Nigerian cinema and storytelling. As the family mourns, it mourns along with its fans and colleagues in the industry, celebrating the fact that she had lived a life so well it shall live after her.